Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-05-21

! with shot and shell, and with
the increasing darkness. threw
Jackson's line into confusion. Pleas
anton had also two regiments of cav
airy. He ordered Major keenan, COM
, handing the Eighth Pennsylvania Cav
airy. to charge upon the flank Of Jack
sons column into the woods. With a
few hundred men 10 charge 26, 1000!
But it was done, and bravely done.
keenan, charged home. His command
was annihilated. Himself was killed,
with almost all his officers But the
army was saved
jackson now found it necessary to
reform bis liue. Moving about in the
darkness with his staff for that purpose
he rode out upon the lines to recon
hotter. On his return he was fired at
by his W men. being mistaken for a
federal scout. Endeavoring to enter
at another place he was again fired at
and wounded in several places. He
was carried to the rear and died IA few
days afterward of pneumonia, brought
on by his injury. This disaster effect
ually checked the confederate advance
for the night. The command now de-
volved upon Gen. Stuart, who made all
things ready for another attack at day
light.
When Lee heard Jackson's guns he
opened up with all his artillery, and
kept up a sever diminishing against
the federal left until after dark. Dur
ing the night he heard the results of
Jackson's attack and Of his being
wounded. and he gave directions for a
general assault on the federal lines on
Sunday morning.
Al dawn the whole line of the con
federates advanced, Lee on the front
and Stuart on our right, and for six
hours the battle ragged with fury.
Though Hooker had double the force
OF Lee, he could not get his troops in a
position to night them all. Every mus
ket borne by the army of northern
Virginia was brought into use; every
round of ammunition was made to tell
its story. On the other hand, of the
effective army of the Potomac barely a
quarter was fought, and at least one
half the force for duty was given no
opportunity to burn IL cartridge. The
First and Fifth corps and what re-
NAMED of the Eleventh bad no oppor-
tunity of meeting the enemy ut AL.
During the battle Hooker was stand
ing on the porch of the Chancellor
house. when "A shell struck and dis
lodged one of the pillars beside him,
which toppled owe and stunned him.
For about two hours he was incapaci-
tated for work. Meantime, the enemy
was still advancing, and ut 10 O'Clock
captured Charlottesville. The union
troops fell back to n new line, which
had been prepared and fortified the
previous night. Here they awaited a
new attack, but. just as Gen. Lee was
preparing to deliver it and gathering
his forces for that purpose, news cane
to him that Sedgwick had carried the
Heights of Fredericksburg.
Hooker had ordered Sedgwick to
move through Fredericksburg aud p
ceed to join him at Characteristic,
ana early on Sunday morning Sedg-
wick prepared to carry out these or
dcrS. A rapid assault, "a h~and-t0-hand
conflict and Marye's heights were
taken. Scdgwick then advanced and
Lee turned back a portion of bis forces
10 meet him. These checked Sedg-
wick's advance and caused him severe
losses. On Monday morning. May 4,
Lee found himself between the two
wings of the federal army. Sedgwick
in his rear and Hooker III his front.
He now resolved to drive the former
back across the Rappahannock before
administering a final blow TO Hooker.
Believeing that the latter would re-
main quietly in his lines, and give him
the opportunity that ne desired, Lee
turned Il strong column against Sedg-
wick and drove him back to the river.
threatening to cut him of from it.
Sedgwick fought gallantiy against
odds, but was obliged TO fall back, and
under cover of the night he recrossed
the Rappahannock. Thus on Tuesday
morning, May B., L~ecfound himself freed
from the menace in his rear and now
turned once more to deliver a final
Dlo" w IloohtI. ilt maui ali HIS
plans to attack the union army on
Wednesday morning. When daybreak
came, and the confederate skirmishers
advanced, it was found that the Army
OF the Potomac had, during the night,
withdrawn across the Rappahannock.
Hooker had arrived at this de-
termination on Monday night. He
submitted the question to his
corps commanders, who were opposed
o retreat, and advised an advance.
But the fight had been all knocked out
of Fighting joe He resolved to
retreat. and Wednesday morning, May
6, found the entire army back again on
the northern side of the Rappahannock.
AS to Stoneman's cavalry raid. II
amounted to nothing. After making a
wide detour and frightening the coun-
try people throughout the section,
doing no damage to railroads or teie-
graphs that could not speedily be re-
paired, he recrossed the Rappahannock
on the Sth of May and rejoined the
main army.
The losses of the campaign in killed
wounded and missing for the Union
forces amounted to 17.1S7 men; for
the opfndaratpS IN 10 oto man